Green tea is perhaps the most universal beverage on earth. Almost every civilization has a favorite method of infusing it loose-leaf, tea bags, or herbs. But over the past decade, there has been another variety of green tea widely familiar. It is premium matcha powder. You may have seen it used in lattes, sweets, or even cosmetic faces. It is green in color, but most significantly, the unique aspect is the way it’s grown and produced.
Green tea and matcha are similar outwardly. They both originate from the Camellia sinensis plant. However, how they are produced is where they diverge. To try and better describe why matcha differs from green tea, let us examine agriculture, processing, flavor, nutrition, and use today. Once you learn this, you’ll understand why individuals are paying more money for high-quality matcha powder instead of standard green tea.
How They’re Grown
Matcha is born in the field. Green tea is grown in sunlight. The leaves are sun-dried, growing strong and a bit bitter. Matcha grows differently. Farmers drape the plants with special covers three to four weeks before they’re picked. The colors block much of the sunlight.
Why does this matter? When it is less light, the plant grows more chlorophyll and therefore the leaves turn a very light green. It also increases amino acids, one of which is called L-theanine. That is why matcha tastes so smooth and slightly sweet. Shading reduces growth, so the leaves are denser in nutrients.
This simple difference in growth is one of the principal reasons matcha tastes more and is lighter in color than regular green tea.
How They Are Processed
After they’ve been harvested, the life of the leaves branches out into two relatively opposing paths. For standard green tea, the leaves are pan-fried or steamed to keep them from oxidizing. They’re rolled and dried and bagged or sold loose-leaf. Green tea is brewed with hot water steeping some of the flavor, antioxidants, and nutrients. The spent leaves are thrown away after use.
Matcha takes a little more effort. The youngest leaves at the top are steamed to keep them green. Stems and veins are trimmed, but not torn away, leaving gentle leaf material called tencha. The tencha is stone-ground to an ultra-fine powder. Grinding is laborious, taking anywhere from an hour to grind 30 grams. What you are left with is yellow-green powder that is soluble in water, so essentially, you’re consuming the whole leaf and not an extract.
That’s the difference with matcha from other teas. You’re not spilling and boiling the leaves; you’re consuming them whole.
Drinking the Whole Leaf
This can’t be overstressed. When you’re having green tea, you are only getting what hot water pulls out of the leaves. That’s some caffeine, some antioxidants, and a trace number of vitamins. With matcha, since the whole leaf is being ground up and consumed, you get it all.
That takes more antioxidants, more amino acids, more caffeine, and more chlorophyll. That is the reason a cup of matcha is much more nutritious than a similar amount of green tea. It is the difference between cooking the spinach and consuming the entire leaf fresh. The nutritive value is simply more.
Taste and Appearance
Even as a nutrition newbie, you might have noticed the taste and color variation. Pale golden or pale green in color when brewed is normal green tea. Light in flavor, grassy sometimes, and slightly astringent.
Matcha is very distinctive. The powder itself is a bright green color, resembling the color of spring grass. Whipped up in boiling water, it froths nicely with a silky texture. It’s sweet and full of umami flavor with hardly any bitterness at all if it’s a good quality one. Expensive grades are, naturally, rich, naturally, but lower-priced ones should have a slight bitterness.
This is also the reason matcha is so fashionable these days in lattes, smoothies, and desserts. It is aesthetically pleasing, and it tastes delightful when mixed with milk, fruit, and even chocolate.
Nutrition and Energy
Another of the largest draws about matcha is what it contains. Matcha contains more catechins, a group of antioxidants that comprise a body defense system against attack by free radicals, than other types of green tea, research finds. Some of the catechins include EGCGs, which are said to be metabolism increases and heart health agents.
Since you ingest the whole leaf, you ingest more vitamins such as vitamin C, and minerals such as magnesium and potassium. Another key ingredient does not present at all in other teas is L-theanine. The amino acid produces relaxed awareness. With the presence of caffeine, it produces long-lasting energy without the jittery feeling produced by coffee.
This mixture is why Japanese monks used matcha for meditation. They did not want to stay awake but not be restless. Today, the majority use matcha for the same reason, especially those who want to have concentration at work or school.
The Modern Popularity of Matcha
Matcha was once utilized in the classical tea ceremonies but see where it is today. Now you have it in iced drinks, bubble teas, and flavored cakes at coffee shops. Matcha is sold in health culture as a superfood. It is even utilized by the beauty market even in cosmetics since it is full of antioxidants.
Now even matcha cannot be found. Ceremonial-matcha is so trendy now that Japanese farmers cannot supply even half the amount previously. The prices are increased, and lower-quality ones are being supplied in the market. It is thus even more important for the consumers to distinguish between the normal green tea, culinary grade matcha, and real premium matcha.
Healthy magazines and journals keep writing about its benefits, ranging from metabolism increase to stimulation of brain function. The blend of legacy and modern use keeps matcha relevant and up to date.
Why Premium Matcha Excels
With all the different types of tea out there, why in the world would someone pay the extra money? The secret’s in the fine print. High-quality matcha powder gives you a deeper color, deeper taste, and more nutrients than the regular green tea and low-quality matcha. It’s shaded, hand-picked, and stone-grinding is slow and labor-intensive, so it is worth paying the extra but rewards you too.
If you simply desire a plain drink, plain green tea will do. But if you desire an experience that is to taste, to energize, and to reward in health, matcha is well worth the inconvenience. After a single fine cup of matcha, it’s simple to understand why so many are forsaking.
Conclusion
Matcha and green tea are the same leaves, yet cultivation, processing, and application could not be further apart. Green tea offers you a light, subtle cup. Matcha offers you a rich, silky drink packed with antioxidants, caffeine, and amino acids. Milling, cultivation, and the fact that you are receiving the leaf in whole form are the differences.
Finally, it’s not a matter of one being better. They’re each in their own place and time. Some enjoy the lightness of green tea, and others enjoy the richness of matcha. But if you’ve ever found yourself wondering why everybody’s yelling about it, it’s because it’s not simply another tea. It’s an experience in color, flavor, and nutrition.